Chronic Illness and Depression Charleston SC - Mental Health Care | Hope Integrative Medicine
October 29, 2026 · 1:05
How chronic illness and depression are linked, why treating both matters, signs that are easy to miss, and how Behavioral Health Integration brings mental health care into your primary care.
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Transcript
Chronic illness and depression: why treating both together matters. Here are three things to know. People with a chronic disease are at a higher risk of depression. People with diabetes, for example, are 2 to 3 times more likely to have depression. And when someone has both, symptoms of each illness tend to be more severe. Some signs of depression can look like part of a physical illness: fatigue, trouble sleeping or oversleeping, and changes in appetite or weight. If signs like these, or a low mood, last 2 weeks or more, tell your provider. Depression is treatable, even with a chronic illness. Treatment can include talk therapy, medication or both. Behavioral Health Integration brings this care into your primary care, with a team member who tracks how you are doing and adjusts your plan if you are not improving. Read the full article at hopeintegrativemed.com. If you are struggling, call or text 988.
Frequently Asked Questions
The National Institute of Mental Health gives autoimmune diseases, diabetes and cancer as examples of chronic diseases, and says people who have a chronic disease are at a higher risk of developing depression.
NIMH notes that depression may raise the risk of other conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, stroke, pain, osteoporosis and Alzheimer's disease.
Yes. NIMH suggests telling your provider about the medicines you take and treatments you receive, so they do not interfere with one another.
